Ah,yes,fall 1971,right on their game,this show ranks with the top performances of the year. Love the second set,transitions are fantastic, band playing on all cylinders. I have no problem with the sound,try to realize what we all have here with soo many FREE shows to choose from. I seem to have a different copy, very few digis but this one survives as well.

Only thing better about this show is to listen to it again!!!!!!

say what you want about the piano in the mix, but this is one of those diamonds in the rough. it's exactly what i was looking for since beginning listening to the tapes.

Tennessee Jed: crowd is pumped for this.
nice sugar mag opening.
RANNNNNNNDY before a crazy dark star that suddenly rolls into Me and my Uncle suddenly. that was amazing. into a cool Other One, brokedown palace, and then they slow down to replace a speaker cab after someone requests casey jones. "for all you radio listeners out there, this is what we call dead air."
jerry: GET IT?! hue hue hue hue
hahahahha
great back n forth between the crowd and the band. good vibes in the house today.
BAM! CASEY JONES! hahahahahha perfect and then going down the road feeling bad is playing and then suddenly DROPS YOU RIGHT INTO NOT FADE AWAY.

that's it.

wow. this is one of those diamonds for sure in the deep dark muck of the rough. nice one.

Happy Home in DeeDee

How does Phil know the exact number of cycles on feedback?

"Makes you howl like a Hippie," says Bass player

Thoroughly enjoyed this show. Comes a Time, Jack Straw, Tennessee Jed are all great. Never heard them do Hideaway!

anybody that says anything negative about this show is a fuckin moron and should be slapped silly.

Sometimes, all I want to listen to is this incarnation of the band...

While the setlists are similar, as Keith was getting to know the tunes, the energy is high and consistent throughout. Great "Saloon-Band" rock as Jerry referred to it. This show is no exception so far (just finished the rollicking Cumberland.)

Also, another in a long line of Bobby fighting with the monitors. Will someone PLEASE get him some more in the monitors?!? Jeez already ;)

Good FM AUD, some popping and dropouts, but overall, this is a good one! I'll wait to give is a rating, but 4-soild stars so far, and if I know anything about Fall/Winter 71, my bet is they keep it up!

Dark Star-> Drums-> The Other One-> Me & My Uncle-> The Other One is the highlight of the show for me! The transitions between The Other One to Me & My Uncle back to The Other One is fabulous! And the band WOOOTing into the microphones at the beginning is classic.

Wow! Cumberland smokes! Now, I know we all are allowed to have our opinions on things; but everyone complaining about the bad sound quality, y'all's crazy!! I feel like I'm in the room with them. And man, they are just on fire tonight. Kreutzmann is driving these grooves hard! And Keith is playing the sh*t out of that ragtime piano, Phil is all up in the mix and grooving the hell out of it, Jerry....whatever I could go on all night. This is one of my new favorite shows. '71 is underrated!

This has one of the better Playing's of '71. Some like 8/15 are dreadful comparably, so crank it up.

Definitely a good show, but not one of my favorites from '71.

Perhaps of all the concerts the Dead played, this concert has probably the most stage patter between the band members, from the stage to offstage and from the stage to the audience -- especially from Jerry, who chats up both the band and the fans quite a bit. You can tell he's very relaxed and that relaxation translates into a phenomonal performance. Jerry coaxes so many differing tones from his Strat that it's impossible to even begin to categorize them. Let's just say he's all over the fretboards. Also, the little sidebars, fills and colorizations are exemplary of the kind of inventive guitar work that Garcia was capable of when he was feeling good.

A few years later I asked Jerry why he had abandoned using the Strat and he said because it was difficult for him to keep them in tune, but that he much preferred the Strat tone over the Gibson's. This is what led him to the Wolf guitar which was a Gibson head with a Strat heart. Eventually he abandoned the Wolf for primarily the Tiger because of the midi capability of these later axes. I would venture to say that if he'd been able to instill more of the Strat tone into the Tiger, he would have been very pleased. Don't get me wrong, The Tiger is an amazing guitar with a wonderful tone, but it never had the tone that the Wolf, or his earlier Strats had, IMHO.

Besides Jerry, the entire band is really tight and both taking and making cues all night long.

This was an invitation only concert for the extended family and I was lucky enough to attend both unforgettable nights.

Can't say which version is better. They are both just okay recording-wise, but definitely listenable.

I wrote a review on the other version. You should read it -- it's a pretty good review -- if I say so myself. I was inspired. This was one of the best nights of my life.

It is indeed a "Honky-Tonk Piano" that Kieth is playing. It must have been provided by the venue. I wonder how Kieth felt about it? I bet Jerry was diggin' it.

The Wikipedia reference given below refers more to a style of music that is referred to as Honky-Tonk. A Honky-Tonk Piano is an actual instrument. However there is no Honky-Tonk brand name, nor is there a Honky-Tonk model from any piano manufacturer. A Honky-Tonk piano can be any brand or manufacture of piano but it is almost always an upright instead of a grand. A Honky-Tonk piano is a piano that is gloriously out of tune! A piano that is out of tune in such a way that it is actually an enhancement to the music being played. You cannot ask your piano tuner to tune it that way, he will not know how. They are not made. They just happen. there are a few factors involved with changes in weather & humidity as well as not having been tuned for a very long time being the prime factors.

Sure adds a sweet touch t this performance. Ya gotta love it.

Warm your hands by the fire of Dark Star.

This show kills. Listen to the stream, get a copy, go for a drive. Phenomenal show. Period. I am still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. Straight through, as solid a show as you could ever ask for.
The Dark Star is great. Especially Phil after the verse, he is really driving and pushing this song. Into a Drums and The Other One that is fantastic.
About this point I found myself saying one of a few things I thought I would never say, "that Me and My Uncle kicked ass." I dig the tune, but this one has a mean groove to it that I don't ever remember hearing in it. And then back into some psychedelic Other One that just pushed the envelope a little further.
This is one of those shows that will make you smile.
A lot.
Peace. Jesus Saves.

Keiths piano still distorts from time to time...but it's not as bad as the previous night. This show is listenable despite the lousy mic job on Keith.

I guess when you try to mic an accoustic piano and make is as loud as Jerry and Phil, you are confronted with some technical issues; especially if it's 1971 and you are at the Harding Theater in San Francisco and drugs are everywhere.

The sound people do a better job than last night, but that ain't sayin much. Keith gets drowned out this night too. Oh, well...It is a great show if you can concentrate on the music, and not the technical issues and the horrible way Keith is amplified.

By the time "Me and Bobby McGee" is performed the sound guys get Keith's piano working properly, TG.

The rest of the show is fantastic and Keith can be heard without distortion. Another example of the DEAD's abilty to focus on the music.

You could compile songs from both nights and have ONE great recording of THE DEAD from this venue without the distortion noise from Keiths piano. Thanks for making boths shows available to us. Thanks for the Love.

This is such a great show even the tune-up between songs breaks out into a fantastic cover of Freddy King's "Hideaway"! Every version of every song played is a gem here. This show also has maybe the hottest NFA>GDTRFB>NFA ever played. Highly recommended.

What a nice spot for the HIDEAWAY...Other1 was a scorcher and second set was just a feel good set...Used to have this tape and played it to death, now get to listen to the board...

you can feel the energy and good vibes comin through this recording, this is a terrific show, and in 71 the band's pa system wasn't at it's peak either, however,the playing was. bottom line, you need to get this one, and feel lucky you are able to do so, imagine if we were all stuck with just commercial releases. i kinda like these rough around the edges boards, everything's of course not exactly perfect, but then again, what is?

This one is Sunday, night before was Saturday. I scored a ticket for Sunday and a cute hippie chick at the door let me into the sold out show Saturday night (my first show ever). This was after I had snuck up the fire escape and into the balcony for the opening chords of Bertha before being kicked out.
I could swear Jerry introduced one song with "here's one for you Poco fans" but I have no idea what it was.
Anyway, together they were the best shows I ever saw out of a hundred or so.

4 out of 5

Add this to the list of shows I wish I'd got while I could. This and the night before (or is it the night after)..used to have them on tape but completely forgot about them until just today.

Love the honkeytonk piano! all around great show.


Jim

First off, I can't believe I'm the only one who recognizes a Honky Tonk Piano !

There is no distortion in the piano feed - it is quite clear. Keith is playing a Honky Tonk Piano - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honky_tonk

(This is unlike the previous night, where there were serious problems with the piano feed, which no doubt cause some to assume that those problems continued into the following night - which actually rarely occurs.)

The first disk is excellent, it cools a little through the middle part (although still fine), and then the NFA-GDTRFB-NFA is outstanding and not to be missed.

Love this show, it is tremendous, top 5 of 71.

For all those who say this is not the best show of 71, I agree... that honor, IMHO is not 4/29, its 8/6. :)

Encore is missing and there is some reverb type static, but it is worth the DL.

Hot show, 5 stars easy. People don't be so critical. It's a board yes but it's also 34 years old and hasn't had the edges smoothed out like a Dick's Picks. How can this not be a fiver!!

A must have show. Waves of energy radiate throughout this performance. El Paso, Cumberland, One More Saturday Night, Not Fade Away>Goin' Down the Road> Not Fade Away are some of the best versions you'll ever hear...everything is pretyy much top shelf, mind you, some of the material is very fresh and would peak in later years...check it out, the quality improves after the first couple of tunes...5 star 1971 performance, 4 star quality

maybe not the "best" sound for the year but much more than adequate...love the set lists...good sound...great playing...not five stars (I hold those for the truly deserving) but my fav of the year when it comes down to it, though 4-29 would have to be right there as well...agree with earlier review that this was definitely a pre-cursor to the upcoming phenom known as 72.

4 Stars without question. There are few tape warbles to be had . But overall it is a great show hands down. Sound quality is excellent.. minus the few minor tape problems. Nothing quite like the energy of the 71 shows. You can really tell the boys were having fun. very laid back and you gotta love the stage banter from time . Best show of the year...?? Not for my ears :)))) But a must have to any good collection . Better shows in 71 than this one .

Shoot me, but I still think 11/6/71 is a better "sounding" show. The bass seems more solid,and the rattle from the piano isn't as bad. The playing and energy are, of course, superb. I always loved "Truckin'" as an opening number. This show really is a must have! But check out Saturday night too.

Do it!
Do it.

I can't belive the reviews I have read about the poor sound quality of this show. It is an almost MINT recording made even better by how high the mighty Phil is in the mix. Both him and Jerry dominate the mix and are both on absolute FIRE!!!!
Best Dead show ever? I am beginning to think so.
The best NFA>GDTRFB>NFA for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just my 2 cents of course.

Fantastic show with alot of energy and passion. I was not really a fan of 71 but have been digging around to find a reason to be and this show is just one of those reasons. The band delivers with lots of energy on this one! It seems like a nice lead up to the December shows! Definately a must for anyone who wants to hop in the car and drive fast. Fans of Kieth shouldn't be disapointed- you can really hear everything he does.
Sound is an issue though- this is NOT a show to kick back to with the headphones on. There is a good amount of dropouts, distortion, and muddiness. HOWEVER- due to the performance, I would still suggest this to anyone! I give it a 5 for performance and a 3 for sound.

dark star>drumz>other one> me & my uncle> other one....not to mention the jams between the jam, need i say more? more than worth the DL. i have this on tape as well. i'm happy with the SQ on this show here. i give it 5* for the jam. you will be happy that you DL this gem.

Quite simply, the best rock and roll show I have ever heard from any band ever! Thanks Archive!

Boy what a tremendous show! Would be my favorite for the year if it weren't for the few flaws, mostly the distortion from the piano feed. But the playing is outstanding all the way. The Harding is a place like we all dream we could have seen the Dead - an old historic theater that feels like your living room with cool lights and comfy chairs.So this show has a small, intimate feeling, very warm and personal. Jerry is really on, shining versions of Sugaree, Cumberland, Loser and Comes a Time. And very seldom post-1969 do they play Dark Star and the Other One in the same show. Tonight we get a double dip of Cosmic Chip ice cream, the Other One even wilder than the Dark Star. Even with the B sound quality, I have to give this show 5 stars. Listen to Keith's playing on this show. He's really hitting his stride.
Dr. Flasback ;-)

Most of the shows on the archive are amazing sound quality, however this one leaves something to be desired. The show itself is wonderful, and after a couple songs you adjust to the preFM quality. Seems to harken back to the days of tape trading.

This is a great performance, one of the best from Fall '71. I was a little disappointed in the sound quality of these Pre-FM reels however. I have an old copy of the FM broadcast from 2nd gen cassettes and in some ways it's better than these reels.

This Pre-FM source has several dropouts in Brown Eyed Woman which aren't present on the broadcast version I have. Also, the piano on this Pre-FM is pretty distorted for most of the show. It's mildly annoying to say the least. Of course the overall sound quality of the Pre-FM version is better than my broadcast tapes, less hiss and cleaner overall.

However the dropouts and piano distortion drop this to 4 stars.

This was the 1st live Dead show I acquired back in the late 70s. I've worn out several copies over the years. It's easily one of the band's all time greats and one of my absolute faves. Every song played is a gem.

This is one of my all-time fav's. Back when I first got hooked up by a kind soul, he made me 10 shows of his choice, as I had no idea. So he made me this, 5/8, 10/09, etc. Almost every song on here is the textbook version, but highlights include a beautiful Comes a Time (with some interesting alternate lyrics), thunderous O1, and a NFA>GDTR>NFA that makes you wanna get naked and air-guitar. Driving anywhere with the first set is a pure joy, too. Keith's plinkin' adds a really nice touch, too. Get it.

Also, if I haven't said it before, Archive is really hooking it up. Please take a moment to pause and appreciate this stuff. You have practically the ENTIRE GD recorded history at your fingertips. Unbelievable...